Serena Williams remains on course to complete her French Open preparations with another title after setting up an all-American final against Madison Keys at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.

Williams eased past Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-1 and the world number one will be the firm favourite to claim her 70th career title when she faces Keys on Sunday.

Unseeded 21-year-old Keys had already produced the best European clay-court performance of her career to reach the last four and continued her run with a shock victory against third seed Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Serena Williams celebrates after setting up an all-American final with Madison Keys at the Italian Open

Share this article

It will be an even bigger surprise if she can get the better of Williams, who has won 15 successive matches against fellow Americans since losing to sister Venus in Montreal in 2014.

Both players had to overcome rain delays on a wet day in the Italian capital.

Williams was 3-2 up in the first set and had just forced a break point when the players were forced off and she broke as soon as the action resumed, only for Begu to break straight back.

Williams then forced two set points in the 10th game and converted the first one to close out the set 6-4, before losing just one game in a one-sided second set.

Williams will be the firm favourite against Keys as she completes her preparations for the French Open

In contrast to Williams, Keys is eyeing only the second WTA title of her career after dropping just one set all week.

The start of her match against world number four Muguruza was delayed by rain and switched to a different court before the first set went to a tie-break, when two double faults by the Spaniard proved costly.

World number 24 Keys then converted the only break point of the second set and sealed her place in the final when Muguruza could only hit a return of serve into the net